Review of Psych-Out (1968) by Art S — 04 Nov 2015
Jack Nicholson is way too uptight for the San Francisco hippie scene and he has a really bad ponytail (I mean really bad). When a deaf runaway, Jenny (Susan Strasberg), turns up at his band's pad, he looks after her as she tries to find her (drug-addled) brother (Bruce Dern).
Of course, Stoney (Jack's character) is also romantically interested in her but so is perpetually zonked quasi-mystic Dean Stockwell and poor Jenny just ends up confused. The whole thing gets pretty heavy, man, because this is American International Pictures (produced by Dick Clark!) and there is a bunch of arguing, fighting, and bad trips to provide some tension.
The music, courtesy of the Seeds and the Strawberry Alarm Clock, is actually pretty good and, for all its datedness, the movie holds together fine. It isn't quite the sixties psychedelic exploitation film that you might expect although it does come laden with all the clichés.
Freak out!
This review of Psych-Out (1968) was written by Art S on 04 Nov 2015.
Psych-Out has generally received mixed reviews.
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